RSNYDER6  I love the light footprint and speed. This is particularity useful for less powerful machines.

I used Dock Doder ( http://foggynoggin.com/dockdodger ) to hide the dock icon (it removed it from the command-tab switching menu (whatever that is called) also.  
(Version 2.5.1)

DRDUL  In case anyone is wondering, Namely works on OS X 10.6.1.  
(Version 2.5.1)

XENOPHILE  This app is the cat's meow.

If only Apple could somehow incorporate it into Mac OS X...  
(Version 2.5.1)

DRDUL  My dock's getting full! A request to the developer: can you make Namely a pref pane, and lose the dock icon?   
(Version 2.5.1)

ELDRITCH  This little app is pure simplicity and works like a dream. No clutter, no fuss and no go slow, like some application launchers out there. Intuitive, and easy, the whole process becomes second nature very quickly.  
(Version 2.5.1)

NOTEFARM  This is the program that I have on all of my machines the program I use all day everyday. It works and it wirks very well. It is wonderful ti know that there are folks woriting programs with a real purpouse. I love the fact that it does one thing and it dose it very well with no extra bells and whist les. A very well thought out Application.  
(Version 2.5.1)

PETER DA SILVA  Why have two versions for Tiger and Leopard? It's not that hard to make code conditional depending on the version.  
(Version 2.5)

QUBEX  Namely is always the first utility I install on any Mac.

Its ease of use is simply incredible. It is designed for a single task and it acquits itself flawlessly.

Brilliant, simply brilliant.  
(Version 2.5)

HAL0THANE  I've been using Namely for a year and a half. For me, the lightweight functionality of Namely works better than the Swiss army knife-like features of Quicksilver.

The new version for Leopard fixes the issues I had experienced with Namely. I still consider Namely a cornerstone of my Mac experience, replacing Spotlight almost entirely.  
(Version 2.5)

WCITYMIKE  I'm pretty sure Leopard now does this natively.  
(Version 2.5)

DRDUL  Nice, very nice! Launches most apps by typing just two letters. The annoying dock icon can be eliminated with Dock Dodger or a simple edit of Info.plist. This has now become my preferred way to launch apps.  
(Version 2.1)

FLEC65  The developper's site seems down since many days now. Can't download the app, too bad, it seems promising....  
(Version 2.1)

DEATHAXE  Note that you cna remove the dock icon using Dockless without breaking Namely.

http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/12516  
(Version 2.1)

PIGZELNER  Namely is very small and looks very nice, and found my apps/games on my other hard drives with no problems.

The bad part is that it lays in the dock all the time (I like to have the Dock as clean as possible and use an application launcher to launch my applications).

Well, the overall: it's a very good application launcher! Keep up the great work!  
(Version 2.1)

JOHN NOWAK  Namely does what it says on the tin. It is very fast and compact. It does however have one problem: The learning algorithm is not sufficient. For example, after typing 'T' a few times and selecting Terminal, it would put Terminal at the top when I typed T. However, if I type 'TE' and select TextEdit a few times, it not will only put it at the top for 'TE', but also for 'T' (meaning Terminal is no longer at the top). Unlike Quicksilver which seems to use one ranking order per input string, Namely seems to use one ranking order for all input strings. This is fine if you're willing to satisfy it by typing until you get to a unique string of characters ('tex' for textedit, 'ter' for terminal), but otherwise you'll get unpredictable behaviour. Hopefully this will be addressed in a future version. For now, I'll stick with Quicksilver.  
(Version 2.1)

BOMBADIL  Thanks for your reply, but I edited the plist file like you said but it made the search bar window invisible, instead of the dock icon.   
(Version 2.1)

BOMBADIL  I love it! I was sceptical because ever since I got Tiger, I've been useing Spotlight for launching apps. But Namely is actually faster and you can choose your favourite aqualicious colour too so it matches the Spotlight menu or your desktop very nicely.

Feature request: please make it possible to not have a dock icon when Namely is open. I much prefer just using a keyboard shortcut to bring it up.

Keep up the good work!!  
(Version 2.1)

TEKL  Looks nice, but doesn't remember the favourite applications. If I enter "pho" and select "Photoshop" i want to launch "Photoshop" every time I enter "pho", until I select another app.  
(Version 2.0.3b1)

AETNARIA  Handy little thing.

Any chance of having the option to move it to the rightmost region of the top of the screen, rather than smackdab-center of the top?  
(Version 2.0.3b1)

KEMO"  Great Application but i have Spotlight...  
(Version 2.0.3b1)

MCJULES  Really easy to use, doesn't need much resources, very good application launcher! And it doesn't get in the way when you don't need it, which is nice.  
(Version 2.0.2)

ATTENTIONWANDERED  goooood application

nice and quick, but is the dock icon and the menu bar loading thing bogging you down and just pissing you off? yeh me too.

maybe and option to switch all of that on and off, but for no i have to do it analogly with dockless

so, use dockless to get rid of the icon and menu, and then this application is Perrfect  
(Version 2.0.2)

JEEPEE  Simple, fast, great! Thanks!  
(Version 2.0.2)

ANONYMOUS  Thanks I love Namely I tried using spotlight but on a 700 emac it is just absolutely to slow, with Namely the applications are there almost immediately.  
(Version 2.0.2)

PIERRE  Excellent. Easy to use, stylish and quick. Thanks!  
(Version 2.0.2)

DARTH BROOKS  I've been avoiding application launchers, preferring to use aliases, but Namely is elegant simplicity. Kudos to the developer.  
(Version 2.0.2)

ANONYMOUS  Replaced Quicksilver for me. Does exactly what it's supposed to do, but faster than either QS or Butler.  
(Version 2.0.2)

ARVID  great little app. I use butler (which is more full-featured) on my everyday user, but namely on my stripped-down music recording/performance user because it is faster and leaner and still gets the job done.  
(Version 2.0.1)

ANONYMOUS  This is a simple but very useful app  
(Version 2.0)

ANONYMOUS  I think this app is better without a dock icon. So I removed the dock icon using Dockless (free) and now I press the shortcut keys if I want to launch namely.  
(Version 2.0)

COY  This is a must have app! I love this thing. For me, it's faster than using Spotlight to bring up an app and I don't have to throw so many things in the Dock. This app is also next to nothing in size by today's standards. I hope it stays that way. One suggestion I have is to add in a feature where I could blacklist apps on the fly right from the list that comes up so I don't have to mess with going into the prefs. Keep up the good work!   
(Version 1.6)

TOMIS  If this was packaged in a Spotlight-esque menu extra with prefs to restrict searches to certain folders. Then it would be perfect.

As it is, the searching is instant, but the interface it uses is junk.

Hopefully the developer will turn it into a menu extra, it would be sooo great as Spotlight isn't good for searching quickly for specific things.  
(Version 1.6)

NU  Just download it, you will love it. I cant live without it.  
(Version 1.6)

ANONYMOUS  A fine & usefull application. Namely is very responsive. However I would like it more if it will be part of the menubar and not of the dock. I mean to have a menubar icon which you have to click or to use the shortcut keys to bring up the search field, whitout a dock icon.  
(Version 1.6)

EMANUEL DI FELICE  very nice  
(Version 1.6)

ARVIDTP  I use and love - well, really like - Namely. I tried quicksilver, but wanted something simpler. I may end up going to QS later on, but for now, namely fits the bill great!

One comment I have is that if you screw up typing and get no results because you type for instance texr instead of text, the app tries to look for apps with that name, and is unresponsive for a few seconds (I have a lot of apps on my machine) until it lets you delete the offending characters and get the app u want. But that's just a little thing. I really like the exclude apps/folders option too.  
(Version 1.5.1)

ANONYMOUS  This is a great program. It is simple, functional, fast, small, easy to use, free, and reliable. I highly recommend it.  
(Version 1.5.1)

ANONYMOUS  I'm still using 10.2.8 so I found this to be very useful. Thank you for making it a free release!  
(Version 1.5.1)

IAN P  This program is wonderful. It raised my productivity more than any other program. I recommend it.

(just read the discription of the program, it's cut and dry, but it's works better than you'd think. WAY better. Just try it out!)  
(Version 1.5.1)

ADAM  This isn't a bad program, but it's entering a niche which already has some very high quality contenders.

Most notably, I highly recommend Quicksilver by Blacktree software. It's available here on MU, or at http://quicksilver.blacktree.com . It's free, it has a customizable appearance, and numerous plugins to let it interact with other applications.

There are, however, some reasons you might choose Namely over Quicksilver. Notably, Quicksilver requires OS X 10.3, and the final may require 10.4. Also, if you have a older computer, Quicksilver can be a bit slow.

(I am not, incidentally, related in any way to the developers of Quicksilver)  
(Version 1.5.1)

ANONYMOUS  It's nice, but metal windows are evil, and when it's Aquafied it looks funky with those thick metal borders.

How about an option to eliminate the window decorations completely, reducing it to a kind of pure zen floating input widget (use cmd-drag to move, opt-drag to resize)?  
(Version 1.5.1)

ANONYMOUS  nice little app but i think it needs some work.

if your running konfabulator then you should check out the SearchLite Widget. http://www.widgetgallery.com/index.php?search=SearchLite&x=5&y=14

Very similar functionality but also supports google searching and terminal commands. Also it appears via hotkey and looks soooo much better than a simple window, also, no dock icon :0)

maybe the developer of this app should check it out to see how it should be done! ...also, would be better as stand alone app as supposed to konfab widget!  
(Version 1.5)

ANONYMOUS  I use and like Namely. I've tried the other apps mentioned, but I prefer Namely for a few simple reasons:

I want a keyboard means of launching apps in ADDITION to using the mouse/Dock/Finder.

I already use iKey for many other automation purposes, so I just want a simple type-and-run app like Namely.

As for its being on the Dock itself, I keep the Dock hidden and rarely use it, but I have done a simple tweak to its Info.plist file to remove it from the Dock, remove its menu, and keep it out of the command-tab app switching list.

Some may argue about its speed compared to other apps, but it is plenty fast enough for me and it's free.  
(Version 1.5)

PAUL  Great app! It does what it says it will do perfectly. You click the icon or use the hot-key and a window appears. You type some letters from the name of the app you want, and a list appears. Keep typing to narrow it down, or select one with the mouse. Voila. Very fast, very simple, very nice, very free.  
(Version 1.5)

GOSTCODER  The idea is something I totally agree with. It's just the implementation that is lacking.

Activation via MenuExtra and/or key-stroke, and having the search window be a global floating (instead of eating up dock space), and then you'll have something truly useful.

Right now it's just a good basic technology demo.  
(Version 1.5)

ANONYMOUS  I would rather recommend we all review the software, namely... well Namely. I'd review it but I'm already using a more advanced program I won't name, just to be different. :)  
(Version 1.5)

CRAZYSWEDISHGUY  I suggest Quicksilver.

It's fast and it does everything you can imagine.  
(Version 1.5)

1EYE  Suggest'TigerLaunch'as better app

'Namely's developer has a good concept -- create a workaround for the god-awful "Dock". However, there is a superior execution in a well-designed background app, TigerLaunch 1.02. No typing, no app floating about. It's also freeware.

[The app runs fine under 10.2.8. Haven't tried it under 10.3.x. I can wait for 10.4.x]

USE:

From a complete list of all apps choose only the apps wanted TigerLaunch then implements a pull-down menu with only those names (with icons) you selected. The menu is accessed directly from an "tiger-ish" icon in the menu bar.   
(Version 1.1.1)

YOXI  Curse the shortcomings of posting systems! The extra two lines I mention in the previous post should look like the following, if you replace these curly brackets with angle brackets, which the macupdate system kindly filtered away into the aether for me last time because it thought it was html tags...

{key}NSUIElement{/key}

{string}1{/string}

{/dict}

{/plist}  
(Version 1.1.1)

YOXI  I love this app! Until yer man adds dock invisibility as an option, you can add it yourself by doing 'edit package contents' and then editing the Namely.app/contents/info.plist file by adding two lines to it so that the last four lines read:

NSUIElement

1

then save the file, and then you'll need to drag the app into another folder and back again to clear some cache somewhere before this works... plus only do this if you've got some way of bringing Namely to the front, i.e. with iKey, becausae you've just made it a background app, so it doesn't appear in the 'running apps' list anymore.

I now find this is the quickest way to launch apps - use iKey/whatever to call Namely to the front using option-n, then pretty much any app can be found uniquely using four characters max - seeing as you can include spaces, so e.g. Disk Utility is "k u"! Cool...  
(Version 1.1.1)

KALIKO TRAPP  Namely is a wonderful and very handy bit of software. I felt sorry that another reviewer said it "wasted a slot in my dock"; perhaps he misses the point of the app. I have removed most of those apps from the Dock whose names I easily remember, and use Namely alone to open them in a matter of a few keystrokes. It makes my Dock smaller and less cluttered, as it now only contains items I use several times daily, like Mail, Safari, iCal, and so on.

I added Namely to my Startup Items, and never quit it; this gives me on-demand fast performance.

Thanks Amar, for a great app.  
(Version 1.1)

YOXI˙  Great - now with substring matching!

Still getting duplicates of some OSX apps like Safari, Preview, Internet Connect, but to be fair, that sometimes happens in FruitMenu's CMM too, so maybe it's an OSX listing bug?  
(Version 1.1)

ANONYMOUS  The simplicity and good interface combined have made Namely a good application. Now, serving Jaguar. Thanks Amar.  
(Version 1.1)

YOXI  Namely only does the Build Ne App List thing automatically the first time you run it - after that, it only does that if you tell it to, so it's very quick once it's been set up.

Just to make clear what I wrote below - it lists app names starting with.. and also multiword app names where any word in the name starts with - e.g. PH finds Adobe Photoshop - but I've asked the developer to consider an option to do midword search so that FO brings up TextForge, for example (I can't always remember the whole name of an app - especially all those renamer apps I've tried out!)  
(Version 1.0)

ANONYMOUS  I ran it and it immediately chewed up gobs of VM, presumably from searching my disk for applications. Took half a minute before I could get control again, only to find that it's using the Metal look (ignoring my Metallifizer prefs) and wasting a slot in the Dock... and Preferences is grayed out.

I'm sticking with Butler.  
(Version 1.0)

YOXI  It's usually the little brother who wins the princess...;) I think this is great! No more faffing around with menus or CMMs - I've got iKey, so a keystroke brings Namely to the front, and Cmd-H hides it again.

It'd be better if it had its own show/hide keystroke prefs for those without e.g. iKey, but it's already pretty fine as it is - especially that it doesn't just show apps where 'name begins with', but does prioritise those whose name DOES begin with...

Smart.  
(Version 1.0)

ANONYMOUS  LaunchBar's poor little brother...

L.B. has *all* anyone might ask for with an app launcher.  
(Version 1.0)

JERRYMPLS  Huh - what a cool little app. I love it. The only thing I'd ask for is for some preferences so I could have it float on top of other apps or pop up when you click on the desktop, etc. Othewsie -simple, little, different. 5 stars!  
(Version 1.0)